Country Rwanda
Duration Start 1 January, 2012 till 31 December, 2016
Policy field(s) Local economic development
Inter-municipal co-operation
Institutional development
Public policy and planning
Funding Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands
Objective: Improving food security and the local economy
Target group: The local government association RALGA and its members; 31 districts
Intended result: Enhanced capacity of the association and the districts in the area of land management and public-private partnerships
Activities: On-the-job training, coaching and workshops

Agriculture is one of the pillars of the growing Rwandan economy. However, land is scarce in the small, densely-populated Rwanda. In addition, the lack of a clear system for land registration leads to legal conflicts. Government and international donors are striving for greater security of the food supply. Districts must play an important role in this respect, but lack sufficient expertise in that area. Lack of knowledge and experience is also a barrier to stimulating local business activity. There are plenty of opportunities for successful cooperation between businesses and the public sector at the local level, but many opportunities are not utilised.

Stimulating environment
Local governments must become stronger so that they can provide better services to their citizens and create a stimulating environment for Local Economic Development. The 31 districts in Rwanda count on advice and capacity support from their umbrella organisation, the Rwandese Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA). The LGCP Rwanda programme intends to enhance the capacity of this association and its members, in particular in the area of land management and public-private partnerships for Local Economic Development.

Aim
Since it was founded in 2003, RALGA has been playing an important role in the social and economic development of the country. However, the organisation is lacking capacity to satisfy the increasing demand from local governments for advice, support and training. The representation of the interests of the members at national level based on recognition of the legitimate and autonomous role of the association needs improvement. An important part of the RALGA budget currently comes from the donor community. In order to break away from that dependency, the organisation is increasing its members contribution. The members, in turn, expect more and better services from their association. In addition, RALGA requires other sources of income. One option is to set up a training institute, which responds to the capacity needs of local administrators and local council staff. Central government supports this idea.

What do we want to achieve?
- Enhanced capacity of RALGA to provide services in the area of land management and support of public-private partnerships.
- The organisation maintains regular contact with the members (the 31 districts), supports them and facilitates the exchange of experience.
- RALGA is less dependent on donor contributions and integrates externally-financed activities in their own strategy.